Get Guardian on GoogleTeam Nigeria has chosen a four-member team for the 50th World SAMBO Championships billed for Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from November 6 to 8, as the country continues to build its reputation in one of the world’s fastest-growing combat sports.
The Nigerian contingent comprises Amara Bella Udeze in the 59kg category, Ogechi Favour Udeze in the 50kg division, heavyweight athlete Akintunde Adewunmi Sherifat, and Rukayat Taiwo Sulieman, who will compete in the Blind SAMBO event.
According to the Sambo Association of Nigeria, three of the athletes secured sponsorship from sports enthusiast and promoter Lanky Osagie Omoregbe, popularly known as BIGJUDO, to facilitate their participation at the prestigious competition. The team is expected to depart Nigeria this week ahead of the championships.
The three-day event will take place at the Game Sports Arena in Tashkent’s Olympic Village and is expected to attract athletes from more than 90 countries, who will battle for honours in Sport SAMBO, Combat SAMBO and Blind SAMBO, with 33 sets of medals on offer.
A major attraction of this year’s championship is the historic introduction of women’s Blind SAMBO to the World Championships programme.
The competition will feature SVI1 athletes, representing totally blind competitors, in a landmark move aimed at promoting greater inclusion within the sport.
The International SAMBO Federation (FIAS) President Vasily Shestakov described the development as a significant milestone in the federation’s efforts to expand opportunities for blind and visually impaired athletes around the world.
The golden jubilee edition of the championships is also expected to attract several iconic figures in the sport, including world ambassadors Fedor Emelianenko and Islam Makhachev, who are scheduled to participate in the opening ceremony and related activities.
Competitors will be vying for a share of the tournament’s $363,000 prize fund. Gold medallists will receive $4,000, silver medallists $3,000, while bronze winners will earn $2,000.
Nigeria heads into the tournament encouraged by a string of impressive performances on both the continental and global stage, particularly in Blind SAMBO.
At the 2025 World SAMBO Championships in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sodiq Ajibade made history by winning bronze in the men’s up-to-98kg Blind SAMBO category, becoming the first African blind sambist to secure a medal at the World Championships.
Rukayat Taiwo Sulieman further elevated Nigeria’s profile later that year when she won gold at the World SAMBO Cup in Yerevan, Armenia. The achievement made her the first female blind sambist in the world to claim gold at a major international competition organised by FIAS, accomplishing the feat on her debut appearance.
Nigeria’s rise in the discipline continued in April 2026 when Rukayat Taiwo and Elizabeth Aseso became the first African women to compete in Blind SAMBO at a world-level title event during the World SAMBO Cup in Yerevan.
They competed in the 54kg and 59kg categories respectively under the guidance of Coach Sherifat Akintunde.
With a blend of experienced competitors and pioneering athletes in Blind SAMBO, Nigeria will be hoping to extend its growing success story and challenge for honours when the world’s best sambists converge on Tashkent for the sport’s landmark 50th World Championships.
